I was sitting at the bar with my head down as usual, just listening. Snippets of conversations mixed with someone's jukebox selection filled my brain. Laughter loud and quick. Glasses being pounded to table by unsteady hands not too sure of which dimension they actually now belonged in. My glass was half filled with warming beer. I'd lost all interest in it. Had enough for now. Then...
Perfume. I awoke and breathed deep. This was unexpected. This is wonderful I heard myself think. With head still bowed I drank in her chosen scent and imagined.
Red. Crimson? No scarlet red. Seriously red. Like blood. Not like my blood, like female blood. The perfume smelled of woman.
My chest contracted then filled, taking her molecules deep into my lungs. Soon the perfume had mixed with my blood until I felt comfortable knowing something real about this woman even before I had opened my eyes.
The bartender put her drink down hard on the bar. I hadn't heard her order ,maybe she didn't need to, maybe they had an understanding?
"Thanks," she said.
I opened my eyes to see him expertly scoop up the bills she had put down. Her voice trailed off into the mix of humanity.
She too was red.
I'd imagined a younger woman somehow, but then I always imagined them younger. But I no longer imagined them young.
Years ago most men would have called her beautiful, stunning in fact. The interesting thing was that now she was beautiful. Back then she was just a girl. What the fuck was I thinking? Too much beer, too much time, too much scarlet perfume.
I closed my eyes and took another deep breath, searching for an opening line.
"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment," she said. I found myself looking directly into her dark eyes unable to verbally respond.
She laughed, "Come on, I bet you can talk?"
"How much?"
"Another drink when you're ready."
"Wait I'm confused. Who actually pays if I can talk?"
"Jesus. I will." she replied with a curt flip of her hair.
"What do you think I should say win this bet?"
"Tell me something nice."
"You smell wonderful," I answered without one moments' hesitation.
"Really? Wonderful? Not good or sexy. Wonderful?"
"Well, you actually made me wonder."
"Oh?" She lifted the glass to her lips and sipped.